Time-piece dial



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

M. V. B. ETHRIDGE.

TIME PIECE DIAL.

No. 394,845. Patented Dec. 18, 1888.

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(No Model.)

M. V. B. ETHRIDGE.

TIME PIECE DIAL.

No. 394,845. Patented Dec. 18, 1888.

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MARTIN V. I ETIIRIDGE, OF BOSTON, )IASSACIIFS lTlR, ASSIGNOR OF TlVO- THIRDS TO JOHN SVANN, OF NElV YORK, N. 'Y., AND HENRY E. \VAITE, OF VEST NElVTON, MASSACIII'SETS.

TIM E=P| ECE DIAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 394,845, dated December 18, 1888. Application filed January 18, 1888. Serial No. 261,079. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: Like letters of referencedesignatelike parts 50 Be itknown that I, MARTIN V. B. ETHRIDGE, in all the figures. a citizen of the United States, residing at Bos A represents a large gear suitably toothed ton, in the county of Suffolk and State of Masand properly sized to adapt it to perform the sachusetts, have invented certain new and same purpose whichis attributed to the large useful Improvements in TimePiece Dials; gear A in the companion application above and I do hereby declare the following to be a referred to. The gear A is loosely mounted full, clear, and exact description of the invenin a vertical position upon the same hollow tion, such as will enable others skilled in the arbor, Z), surrounding the hour-hand sleeve, as

art to which it appertains to make and use that in which the inner ends of the spindles the same. (shown in Fig. are journaled; hence it will 60 My invention refers to that class of timebe seen that the said gear is free to turn upon piece dials having a radial series of intermita fixed support. tently-rotary spindles carrying numeral- To the rear side of the gear A is rigidly se- I 5 blocks and designed to indicate the time from cured a ratchet-wheel, S, concentric with said one to twenty-f0ur hours each day; and theingear, but of less diameter. In the rear of the 6- vention consists in. the construction and comgearl-Lbetween it and the clock platet a gear, bination of mechanical devices which operate F, is pinned or otherwise securely fastened to automaticallyto shift or turn the entire series the hour-hand sleeve. This gear F meshes of spindles in unison at the end of each and with and drives a gear, G, which is suitably every period of twclvehours, said mechanism mounted upon a stud projecting from the plate 70 V acting in such amanner as to turn the spindles I The outer face of the gear G has fastened in aforward direction at each movement. rigidly thereto a cam, ll, having a curved A companion application filed of even date outline, which is parallel to the circumference herewith, Serial No. 261,073, comprises auof the gear G, said outline terminating in an tomatic mechanism which works in such a upper point, K, amL-rlower point,.\',the lower 75 manner as to turn the spindles in a forward pointbeingopposite tothe npperand beneath direction at onemovementand in abackward it when the gear is in the position shown. direction at the other movement, each alter- The points K and N of the cam, in addition 0 nate movement being in a direction the reto being connected by the symmctricallyverse of its predecessor; but the present curved outline thereof just referred to, are 80 case covers mechanism which automatically also connected by an irregular outline on the operates at the end of every period of twelve other edge of the cam. The gear F, as also hours to shift or turn the spindles forward, so the gear G, revolves once in. tw lve hours.

3 5 that said spindles have a continuous forward I denotes a lever fulcrumed upon the same movement instead of an alternate forward support as gear A. The lever P extends for S and backward movement; and the invention some distance on opposite sides of its support. further includes certain details and peculiari- One end of it carries a weight, I), which is ties in the construction, arrangement, and normally stationary, but may be adjusted by 40 combination of the several parts, whereby the means of a set-screw, as shown. (he other end in view is accomplished, substantially as end carries a weight, ll, which is arranged to 0 will be hereinafter fully described and slide or reciprocate thereon between the outer claimed. extremity of the lever and its fulcrum. The 7 In the annexed drawings, Figure l repre portion of theleverP\vhichcarries the weight sents a front elevation of my improved mech- D is peculiarly shaped to 1 ermit it to be proanism for automatically shifting the spindles, vided with pins L and M, which project out- 9 5 and Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. ward therefrom and at a suitable distance 3 is a plan view of a series of spindles with apart, as will be perceived from inspection of my invention applied thereto. Fig. 1.

The cam H during the revolution of the gear G, to which it is attached, moves in contact with the pins L and M on the lever P. Furthermore, the cam is connected with the sliding weight B by means of connecting-rod I, pivoted at one end to the cam and at the other to the weight, said rod being preferably in the form of a frame, as shown, which surrounds the collar and hour-hand sleeve.

The lever P carries a hook or pawl, R, which is held in engagement with the ratchet S by means of a spring bearing against it, and said hook-pawl is so arranged as to exert a downward pressure upon one of the teeth of the ratchet wheel, and can be fed forward from one tooth to the other during the movement of the lever P. A retaining-pawl, T, fastened to a suitable support, engages the ratchet S and keeps it from moving in a direction the reverse of that in which it is fed by the hookpawl R.

I have now described the essential features of the construction of my improved mechanism, and it remains to briefly sketch the operation of the mechanical parts.

The lever P is caused to rock upon its fulcrum, and the rocking movement of the lever, through the intermediate agency of the hookpawl and the other parts, rotates the gear A sufficiently far forward at the end of each period of twelve hours to rotate the spindles and display different numerals to view from those displayed during the preceding twelve hours. The gear G will revolve, as already stated, under the actuating impulse of the gear F, and in its revolutions will carry with it the cam H, the edge of which is in contact with the pins upon one end of the lever.

In Fig. 1 the parts are shown in the position where the point K of the cam has just been released from the pin L, thus permitting the latter to drop, because the connecting-rod I has drawn the weight B to its innermost position, and hence the end of the lever carrying the weight D is heavier than the end carrying the weight B, and when the cam no longer holds up the heavier of these ends itv must necessarily fall under the action of gravity. The falling of the end of the walkin g-beam which carries the weight D will cause the other end thereof to be elevated and the hook-pawl R to be lifted from one notch of the ratchet S into the next notch. Suppose, now, the cam to continue revolving from the point we have just seen it occupyingin Fig. 1. The point N will pass over the pin M and the cam will ride upon said pin until the point K has reached the pin M, when it will be released from said pin, and at the same time that the point K ceases to act on. pin M the weight 13 "win have been pushed to its outermost position on the lever P, causing the end of the lever P which carries the weight B to over- 7 balance the opposite end, and as the cam does not longer act upon the pin M to hold the end of the leverP down said end will go up, while the other end, carrying the weight B, goes down, and at the same time the hook-pawl R pulls the ratchet around, and the gear at tached to said ratchet is consequently rotated sufficiently far to shift the spindles. It will be seen that if this operation continue the end of the lever P which carries the hookpawl R will be lifted once in every six hours and will fall back at the end of the next six hours, thus causing the gear A to 'be rotated once at the end of every twelve hours and the spindles shifted. As the result, therefore, of the automatic mechanism herein described and operating as set forth the spindles will be rotated continuously forward by means of a series of intermittent rotations occurring at the end of every twelve hours.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a time-piece dial having a series of radial spindles, the combination of a rotative gear connecting with the spindles and provided with a circular ratchet, a rocking lever fulerumed behind the gear and carrying weights on its opposite ends, and a finger or hook-pawl on the lever to engage the ratchet,

together with mechanical devices for adjusting the weights to cause the lever to rock and the gear thus to revolve and shift the spindles,

substantially as described.

2. In a time-piece, the combination, with a radial series of spindles, of a rotative gear connecting with the spindles and provided with a circular ratchet, a rocking lever fulcrumed behind the gear and carrying weights on the opposite ends and a hook-pawl which engages the ratchet, one of said weights being normally stationary and the other adapted to slide, and mechanism for moving the sliding weight relatively to the other, so that the lever may rock in the manner described, and thus cause the gear to revolve and the spindles to be shifted, substantially as herein. set forth.

3. In a time-piece, the combination of a series of radial spindles, a rotative gear con necting with the spindles and provided with a circular ratchet, a rockin lever f ulerumed behind the gear and carrying weights on its opposite ends, a finger on the lever which engages the ratchet, and mechanism for ad justing the weights so as to rock the lever, consisting of a cam, alink-connection between it and one of theweights, and a gearing-connection between the cam and the time piece movement, all substantially as set forth.

i. In a time-piece, the combination of a series of spindles, a rotative gear connecting with the spindles and provided with a circular ratchet, a rocking lever fulcrumed behind the gear and carrying weights on its opposite ends, a pawl on the lever which engages the ratchet, and arotatincam operated byconnection with the time-piece mechanism and acting upon projections or pins on one end of the lever while it connects with and causes the weight upon the other end of said lever to slide thereon, all the parts operating to ac- 5 coniplish a rocking of the lever and a partial rotation of the ratchet and its attached gear at stated intervals, substantially as described. 5 5. In a time-piece dial having a series of radial spindles, a gear-wheel, A, provided with a ratchet, S, a rocking lever, P, fulcrunied behind the gear and carrying Weights B and D, i and also a hoolcpawl, R, which engages the 1 IO ratchet S, the cam H, the connecting-rod I, and I the gearing which actuates the cam and causes it to operate, substantially in the manner hereinabove described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in 1- presence of two witnesses MARTIN V. 13.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR P. CL'sHLvo, CHAS. HALL ADAMS. 

